A cryptic concern for snakes of Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area: Cryptosporidium serpentis

A cryptic concern for snakes of Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area: Cryptosporidium serpentis Grant Beck1, Autumn Cruz1, Claire Jaspers1, Amy Aulthouse1, Dennis De Luca1, Kristy Becka2, Pam Dennis2, Eileen Wyza3, Kat Krynak1 1 Ohio Northern University 2 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and The Ohio State University 3 Ohio Department of Natural Resources Cryptosporidium serpentis is specific to and pathogenic in herpetofauna hosts. Knowledge of this pathogen in wild populations is limited, but studies from captive snakes indicate the parasite causes severe gastroenteritis and ultimately death. C. serpentis was discovered in quarantined captive breeding colonies of Ohio endangered Plains Gartersnakes and it was hypothesized that the pathogen entered these colonies via breeding stock from Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area (KPWA). To assess prevalence of C. serpentis in wild snakes of KPWA we collected cloacal swabs and opportunistically collected fecal samples from all snake species during the annual Ohio Division of Natural Resources’ snake survey. We used quantitative PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene region of Cryptosporidium spp. together with a C. serpentis specific FAM-labeled probe to examine parasite loads across samples (N=209). C. serpentis was detected in 10.4% of snakes and in 3/7 snake species sampled, including two threatened species. While this result may illicit concern, it is important to next assess whether infected wild snakes can persist with the parasite. KPWA offers a unique opportunity to examine this parasite in the context of ongoing long term snake population surveys allowing for insight into potential parasite influences on wild populations

Timing of Oxytocin Administration and Its Effect on Postpartum Hemorrhage

Research has shown that delaying uterotonics after birth can lead to an increase in postpartum hemorrhage occurrences. Postpartum hemorrhage consists of excessive blood loss after giving birth. Adherence to an oxytocin protocol may decrease the number of postpartum hemorrhage occurrences. This study is being conducted to determine if oxytocin administration immediately after delivery compared to no immediate oxytocin administration affects postpartum hemorrhage. Participants will be women giving birth at St. Rita’s Lima Hospital. The protocol consists of a continuous oxytocin infusion of 2 IU/h, which is administered within 10 minutes following delivery and will be discontinued after 24 hours. Medical charts will be reviewed by data collectors 3 months prior to the implementation of the protocol, and 3 months after the implementation to determine if the amount of postpartum hemorrhage occurrences decreases. Some of the factors being examined will be hemoglobin levels, hematocrit levels, and obvious uterine hemorrhage. This study will be beneficial for patients by possibly decreasing postpartum hemorrhage rates and maternal mortality

Impact of Play Therapy on Pediatric Patients Experiencing Anxiety During Hospitalization

Problem: Hospitalization can be a stressful and scary time for the pediatric population. Traditional interventions used for stress management may not work on this population therefore a different approach may need to be taken. A solution to this problem is play therapy. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of play therapy in reducing anxiety levels among pediatric patients during hospital stays or medical procedures. Comparing the use of play therapy versus standard care without play therapy, the study aims to determine whether incorporating play-based interventions can alleviate anxiety in children. Methods: A randomized-control trial will be implemented on a general pediatric medical surgical floor. The participants will be from the ages of 3-12 and one hundred participants will be used in the study. The experimental group will consist of 50 patients and will be introduced to the intervention of play therapy and the control group will not receive play therapy. Participants\u27 anxiety will be measured by several scales including the Faces Anxiety Scale and the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale prior to medical procedures and daily throughout the stay. Conclusion: Play therapy can significantly improve the emotional well-being of hospitalized pediatric patients by reducing stress and anxiety while enhancing coping skills. The outcomes may support the integration of play therapy more commonly into pediatric care, leading to better patient experiences and improved recovery. By demonstrating its effectiveness, this study can inform hospital policies, enhance nursing interventions, and promote a patient-centered approach that will benefit both children and the healthcare system

2-1-1 Awareness Campaign

Those in rural areas often struggle to access essential resources and are likely to be unaware of existing resources available to them. The 2-1-1 program aims to solve this problem as a helpline working to connect people with the resources such as food banks, housing, transportation, various health related services and much more. Previous research in Hardin County, Ohio has shown that poverty levels in Kenton and Ada are estimated to be 16.9% while roughly 31% of the population is reported having low access to food. The importance of increasing access to these basic needs and other resources is crucial in improving the health of the community. To further increase awareness of these resources, we have launched a promotional campaign. This ongoing campaign makes use of media such as billboards, flyers, and radio announcements to increase the awareness of the 2-1-1 program. Data collection is currently in progress and will consist of the number of calls to 2-1-1 along with the type of resources provided. After completion of the campaign, the data will be compared to the number of calls prior to the promotional intervention allowing for assessment of the impact on the community. Findings hope to provide insight into the effectiveness of the campaign along with the resources most in need in the area

Multi-Objective Optimization of Hyperparameter Tuning

Hyperparameter tuning is crucial in optimizing deep learning models, often requiring a balance between computational efficiency and model performance. This research explores multi-objective optimization performance for hyperparameter tuning, focusing on the trade-off between compiling time and the resulting model accuracy. To achieve results in this research, we used the Pymoo library, a Python library used for multi-objective optimization, and its documentation in order to amend previously worked-on problems to fit our needs. A custom-made dataset was used where a default configuration of a set image classification model using simple CNNs where hyperparameters are systematically altered upon running the model, recording of the training time and resulting accuracy of the model was done. This dataset was fed into our outlined problem statement and constraints, resulting in the convergence of the research multi-objective model. This problem and our model do not converge on any specific result; hence, an outside client chooses the best-fit model for their needs. This research aims to identify multiple optimal configurations that maximize accuracy while minimizing computational cost, providing insights into efficient model training strategies. Results highlight the benefits of adaptive tuning approaches in achieving an optimal balance between performance and resource consumption

Analysis of Volatiles Components of Scented Wax via Thermal Desorption- Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry

The volatile components of scented wax samples were characterized using a novel approach that utilized a vaporizer coupled to charcoal sorbent gas sampling tubes. The trapped components were then desorbed with carbon disulfide and the resulting solution was analyzed via GC-FID and GC-MS. The compounds responsible for the wax’s odor were identified and comparisons were made between different scents and manufacturers

A High-Performance Hardware Design for Computing Bézout’s Coefficients Using Extended Stein’s Algorithm

Bézout\u27s Coefficients are critical mathematical constructs in cryptography, particularly for public key cryptographic applications requiring increasingly large keys. As software-based methods for calculating these coefficients approach their performance limits, hardware implementations present a promising alternative for faster and more efficient computation. This paper proposes a scalable 64-bit hardware implementation for the computation of Bėzout\u27s coefficients using a previously proposed Extended Stein’s Algorithm Implementation which replaces the multiplication and division operations found in Extended Euclid\u27s Algorithm with addition and binary shift operations. The algorithm uses a Controller and Datapath approach with the aim of shifting hardware complexity from the Datapath to the control logic, thus shortening the critical path and improving performance. The hardware implementation efficiency is evaluated, its advantages and limitations are discussed. The results demonstrate that the proposed implementation achieves efficient computation of Bézout’s coefficients with a minimum clock period of 8 ns when synthesized on a Basys 3 Artix-7 FPGA. The design effectively balances performance and resource utilization, requiring 1628 LUTs and 535 FFs while maintaining scalability for larger bit sizes. This work establishes a foundation for future research into hardware accelerated cryptographic computations, particularly in applications requiring fast modular inverses and efficient key generation. Index Terms – Bézout\u27s Coefficients, Binary Euclid, Hardware Implementation, Modular Inversion

Heartbleed: A Case Study on the Minor Bug that Caused a Massive Security Vulnerability

Technology has been substantially evolving throughout the 21st century with a generous range of software that improve and increase the efficiency of everyday tasks. With new opportunities and discoveries in the computing world to use for the welfare of the people comes the antithesis of malicious attackers looking to prey on vulnerabilities. One of the most relevant examples of a seemingly small bug that cost millions of dollars and sensitive information is the Heartbleed vulnerability in 2014. Heartbleed is a security vulnerability in OpenSSL, a library that is the key to encrypting information on the web and protecting the data of millions across the globe. Through a request of information, a memory buffer of the size of data requested would be allocated. However, software engineers mistakenly omitted a statement to ensure the information returned truly matched the size requested. Hackers found that with a heartbeat, or a request of information from a web server, they could utilize the vulnerability to request and access more data than they were authorized to, essentially making the request “bleed”. Thus, sensitive data such as passwords, banking information, or social security numbers were discovered by the wrong hands through a small bug in the system. Researching the timeline, detrimental effects, and methods of mitigating damage of the Heartbleed vulnerability is necessary to prevent future losses due to unsecure coding practices. A small bug can be all the difference between a safe internet browser experience and thousands of users’ confidential information being leaked to the internet

Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

My civil engineering capstone project focuses on addressing the ever-growing problem of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), specifically in southeastern Ohio. The client, Rural Action, a southeastern Ohio based nonprofit, aims to improve water quality in streams that were once considered dead. My specific honors capstone enhancement task involves conducting research on the history of acid mine drainage in the area, what leads to AMD, and assessing a potential solution to the problem. To complete this task, I completed various tests on water and soil samples that were collected during a site visit and evaluated a treatment process for a stream through analyzing the testing results. My goal was to first gather a deeper understanding of what AMD is and what leads to it, and then to address the problem based on my findings. In conclusion, this capstone project works to mitigate the impacts of AMD in southeastern Ohio and to revitalize the streams that were once considered dead. This project will help to improve water quality and to hopefully provide an innovative solution to this problem

Enhancing Expressivity of a Greeting Robot

Interaction between robots and humans is an active area of development in both industry and academia. The rise of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) systems has vastly improved the experience of interacting with these types of robots. However, there is more to emulating human conversation than coherent speech. The robot\u27s appearance also significantly affects the conversational experience. Designing a face for a humanoid robot that appears friendly and inviting, while avoiding the uncanny valley effect of being just far enough from a human to induce uneasiness, is a delicate balance. Additionally, humans tend to gesture naturally during conversations, especially when talking to multiple other people. These factors must be considered when creating robots like the student capstone Project NORTH which seeks to create a greeting robot for the College of Engineering to interact with visitors and prospective students. This honors capstone enhancement is intended to enhance the expressivity of the robot by adding dynamic expressions for the robot\u27s eyes as well as arm gestures fluidly as the robot converses with guests. Through these additions, the final product of this capstone project will become more personable and better achieve its goal of engaging with university guests